Albinism
, paler than others due to albinism.]] Albinism '''is a congenital medical condition that humans can be born with, considered a deformity, which results in those afflicted with it lacking complete or partial pigment in the skin, hair and eyes. Unlike humans, other animals have multiple pigments and for these, albinism is considered to be a hereditary condition characterised by the absence of melanin in particular, in the eyes, skin, hair, scales, feathers or cuticle. A person born with this condition is known as an '''albino, and a plural number of such persons are known as albinos. The smallfolk, however, usually refer to albinos as "the pale folk". The condition of albinism is known to have occurred in human populations both in Westeros and in Essos. As a medical condition Albinos are not a distinct race or species, not anymore than those born mentally handicapped are. Non-human races such as the Children of the Forest or the Giants are believed to have gone extinct many thousands of years ago, and some believe they never existed at all. Some non-human races such as the Giants, as it turns out, actually do exist in isolated regions of the world such as beyond the Wall. Still, for the most part, the Known World is populated entirely by humans, though humans are split into many different races, ethnicities, and nationalities. Unlike the fables told to children by nurses such as Old Nan, there is no distinct "race" of albinos in the realistic world Westeros is in - simply a few human beings with the medical condition of albinism. Albinism can be inherited, though sometimes the children of albinos will not inherit their parent's condition and possess normal pigmentation. Sometimes albinism is inherited but lies dormant in a bloodline for many generations, only for an albino child to be born into a family that almost forgot that it had a distant albino ancestor. Other times, albinism can occur completely at random, with absolutely no prior family history. Physical effects In humans, albinos seem to affect each person the same. Albinos have white hair, a pale skin, and pink or red eyes. Those afflicted with albinism are generally as healthy as the rest of the population, with growth and development occurring as normal, and albinism by itself does not cause mortality. Albinism does not affect intelligence, thus albinos are in general no more or less intelligent that any other average person. In some ways this can be more of a burden, because while the simpleminded (i.e. mentally handicapped people, such as Hodor) might not be fully aware of how differently they are treated by society, albinos (although it is possible for albinos to be born mentally handicapped) are fully aware of the level of discrimination they face from society due to their deformity. Humans with albinism commonly have visual problems and need sun protection Discrimination and social status Albinos face a considerable amount of discrimination in the pre-modern, pre-political correctness medieval world of Westeros and Essos. Most people believe that albinos are evil-doers that fear the sun and the light. Indeed, some smallfolk do take part in the burning of albinos because of this, although it happens rarely. Worse, as a medieval society, people in the Seven Kingdoms and beyond have a very simplistic view of the world which strongly believes that outward appearances reflect inner moral qualities. People who look beautiful are assumed to therefore be good, and people who are outwardly ugly are assumed to be bad. In the children's stories Old Nan used to tell, or the popular romance ballads about Jonquil and so forth, the romantic knight fighting for love and honour is always very handsome to reflect his inner goodness, while only evil characters appear to be ugly. As a result, albinos are typically assumed to be morally degenerate, aggressive, and to commit evil acts without provocation - simply because they look unattractive according to the rest of society. In the faith of R'hllor, albinos are viewed as wicked, evil creatures that were created by the Great Other to spread evil on the world. In a way this often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy (not that anyone will ever admit to it), because logically many albinos become deeply embittered after a lifetime of mistreatment from everyone they encounter. Humans with albinism often face social and cultural challenges (even threats), as the condition is often a source of ridicule, discrimination, or even fear and violence. It is especially socially deterring to Asshai'i people, who generally follow the faith of R'hllor, and the faith of R'hllor dictates that albinos are evil creatures that live in the dark and worship the Great Other. If an albino born in Asshai is not killed, they are mostly alienated and exiled. Albinism in animals Albinism is also a frequent trait in animals. Unlike humans, albinism in animals can reduce the survivability of an animal, and albinistic animals that are part of a pack are mostly alienated and expelled and have to survive alone. Sometimes, however, an albino pup could be raised by their mother like his/her's other litter-siblings, as was the case with the direwolf Ghost. Known albinos * Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers * Rodrik Nyte, the "Ghost of Darkmyre". * Ghost, an albino direwolf. * Sylvi, the wildling sister of Cotter. * Whitefyre, a dragon. The only known dragon to ever be albino. See also * Albinism on Wikipedia * Leucism on Wikipedia Category:Medicine Category:Culture & Society Category:LordOfTheNeverThere